5 Quick Things Your Skin Needs Before Summer

A head-to-toe guide for getting ready

Ahhh, summer. It’s a season that evokes both excitement (the beach…and vacation!) and fear (swimsuits and the shedding of layers in general!). But prepping for it actually doesn’t have to be a nightmare. Here are five quick beauty treatments you can do to get your body “summer ready.” (None of which involve cutting carbs or living at the gym.)

Soften your soles

Before your first major pedicure (you know, the one where someone has to take a piece of industrial equipment to your calluses), do a little prep. We’re obsessed with a weird at-home foot peel called Baby Foot, where you strap on disposable booties filled with natural extracts and let the juices soak in. Then over the course of about a week, your entire foot will molt its top layer of dead skin. Super gross and also super necessary for upcoming sandal weather.

Buff your hands

It’s not just your feet that get a raw deal. Winter does a number on the cuticles, too. But a simple homemade scrub (made with sugar and honey) can help smooth things over so you can finally bust out that coral polish.

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Smooth the backs of your arms

Kind of a mind-blowing tip: Save some sour cream from dinner and use it on the backs of your arms to nix those little bumps that stand between you and tank tops…and halters…and those trendy off-the-shoulder pieces. The lactic acid breaks down any unsightly skin buildup in your hair follicles.

But give your face a break

The weeks leading up to summer are the perfect time to give your skin a breather. What do we mean by that exactly? Well, it’s called a skin fast. You skip all beauty products for a week (we’re talking cleansers, creams, makeup, the works) and “wash” your face with coconut oil. After a week your skin will regulate itself back to a more natural state and you can go back to your normal regime--hopefully with a far more summer-ready glow.

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Get a little color (smartly)

You don't need us to tell you that straight-up tanning is not the best idea. But before you slather on self-tanning lotion with abandon, make sure you're doing it right. Our best advice is to always exfoliate first and layer on color--lightly--after that. Here: we have a simple guide you can follow.